In 2019, as Japan hosted the Rugby World Cup, Typhoon Hagibis brought havoc to the organisation of the event and to the country as a whole. Into 2020, and rather than the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics, the world’s attention turned to the spectre of the new coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. The games appeared to be ‘cursed’ according some Japanese politicians. In March 2020 it was decided that the Olympics and Paralympics would be postponed until the following year but would continue to be known as the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics. Finally, in July 2021, Tōkyō was ready to host the world’s biggest sporting event. Japan had done everything it could to ensure that the games would be remembered for the sports, that the country and its people will be noted for their hospitality, that these will be the best games ever. But not everyone wanted the games to be a success. Some wanted it to be remembered for something completely different.
Tokyo 20/20 Vision follows a British Olympian, photojournalist ‘Rock’ Iwakura and journalist Eri Amadera as they become caught up in the plan for the Olympic games to be disrupted.
Review by John R Cowton: “***** Fast paced thriller set in Japan that will not disappoint I am so pleased that Dr Christopher Hood… has turned to writing fiction. Having read Hijacking Japan, a fast-paced thriller, with its unique narrative that bridges the social and cultural nuances between western society and Japan, I knew that Tokyo 20/20 Vision would not disappoint.”
Review on Amazon: “***** I’m not a fiction lover normally, but as I’m familiar with things Japanese after having lived there for a long time, I picked this one up. The author has a fantastic grasp of modern Japan and the narrative is believable because the author has clearly done his research. The detail is finely grained and I even felt being drawn into the story itself, which is high praise – given I rarely read novels these days. Highly recommended for anyone who likes narrative suspense, is familiar with Japan, and likes detail!”
A review on Amazon: “***** Great reading A great novel, well written and very gripping. Rich in Japanese culture, without recurring to stereotype. A pleasure to read.”
Tokyo 20/20 Vision is available as an eBook, paperback, and hardback.
See details about “Tokyo 20/20 Vision” on Amazon
Posts about places that feature in the book and other posts discussing the book (also see the category “Iwakura Series”):
- The Daigo Fukuryū Maru Exhibition Hall
- Meguro River
- Mount Tanigawa
- Favourite Places in Japan – Seto (includes explanation about Ontake/Owarihagane)
- Sumo – Asageiko
- US-Japan Summit Memorial and Hinode Sansō
- Reflections on writing Tokyo 20/20 Vision
- Choosing a Character for My Novels – Iwakura
- Working titles
- Tokyo 2020 is finally about to start
- Kurosagi Shitai Takuhaibin – explains the ‘black heron’ reference in the book
- My Juhachiban/’Go-to song’ – mentions an explanation of the titles of the chapters
Christopher P. Hood 